Service members eligible for special stop-loss pay

    Members of the Armed Forces whose service was extended may be eligible to claim additional payments for extended time. Servicemen whose retirement was suspended and whose tours were prolonged between Sept. 11, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2009 are entitled to receive $500 for each month they were extended. Eligible recipients have until Dec. 3 to apply for those benefits.

    The program is known as Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay, and was part of the 2009 War Supplemental Appropriations Act. According to a defense department press release, there are about 145,000 service members who are eligible for this special pay, but only about 58,000 claims have been paid. The average payout for each veteran is in the neighborhood of $4,000.

    The original deadline to make a claim for retroactive benefits was Oct. 21, until President Obama signed legislation in September that extended the deadline.

    ?As your commander in chief, I?m here to tell you that this is no gimmick or trick,? said Obama on a video posted to the Defense Department?s website. ?You worked hard. You earned this money. It doesn?t matter whether you were Active or Reserve, whether you?re a veteran who experienced ?stop loss? or the survivor of a servicemember who did ? if your service was extended, you?re eligible.?

     Lernes Hebert, the Defense Department?s acting director of officer and enlisted personnel management, said in a press release, ?We encourage those eligible to apply as soon as possible, to avoid the last-minute rush, which can increase processing time.?

    Terry Philips, Washington County Veterans Affairs Commissioner, remarked that stop-loss can be difficult for soldiers, particularly those in a war zone.

    ?When you?re scheduled to come home, but find out your tour is being extended, it can be devastating, especially for service members who were in combat environments,? said Philips. ?It weighs on you heavily. When you?re extended, you feel like you?re at risk for a longer period of time.?

    Philips said the families of those service members experience a similar emotional reaction to stop-loss.

    ?Families worry more when they learn their loved one can?t come home,? he said. ?Before, you had a time frame when you knew your loved one was going to be going home. Now you don?t have a specific time to expect them home. It really causes a lot of anxiety.?

    Philips said that stop-loss is necessary during emergencies, but that it is important to remember that it is an inconvenience for many people.

    ?It also causes problems for the service members? employers, who have work lined up for them when they return,? he said. ?Now the employer doesn?t know when those service members will come back.?

For more, see our Oct. 11 print edition.